New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-05-29
LABOR IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY.

LABOR IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY.
The other day Mr.. Louis Gronlund tod an
audience OF workingmen that the condition Of
labor was better four hundred years ago than
to-day. Now Mr.. Gronund is man OF in
tcgcncc. Ho has written a book called
Tho Cooperative Commonwealth" which
sets forth the most advanced views OF edu-
Gated Socialism. Ho is not an advocate OF
revolution by violence or Of anarchsm. He
thinks it possible TO persuade the modern demo
cratic society to surrender all its liberties and
submit itself to socialist system. tho prach.
cal tyranny Of which would exceed that OF
the Lacedemonian republic. But Mr.. Gron-
lund thinks the only way to attain this bcauu-
rl system OF State regulation Of everything
and everybody is TO convince the world that
it is right, and il all Socialists were IA reason
able in their methods they would do little
harm. In his remark about the state OF labor
four hundred years ago no doubt he followed
Professor Thorold Rogers, who in his "Six
Centuries Of Work and Wages" expresses the
opinion that tho fifteenth century was the
golden age Of labor Yet when Professor
Rogers comes to analyzc that golden age and
TO show wherein the felicity Of the fifteenth
century workingman consisted. there appears
reason for questioning the soundness OF his
Characterization, for he only proves that tho
ratio OF cost OF subsistence 10 wages was
lower than it Is at present Wages were
small-about twelve cents OF our money day
but meat and drink were proportionatcly
cheaper than now.
II fortunate state OF labor consists in
cheap living alone Professor Rogers is right.
But TO make an instructive analysis II is
necessary to ascertain tho character Of the
subsistence TO DO had in the fifteenth century.
and TO compare it with the subsistence OF the
modern workingman Tho truth is that no
American or English or Irish or French or
German workingman Of today would tolerate
tho kind OF living which was the best attain
able by labor in the fifteenth century. IL was
period OF universal filthiness, to begin with.
and all Europe was periodically scourged by
tho epidcmcs which filthy living engcndcrs.
The Black Death and the Sweating Sickness
barried every land in turn Men lived in pig
styes and like pigs. Tho principal flesh food
was sailed. Even the English mobiles had TO
cat salt meat nino months in the year No
body had any underelothing Clothes were
worn even by wcll-todo folks until they fairly
dropped Off. There were few vegetables.
There was little change of diet. Food such as
it was could DO bought cheap, but 1t was
coarse. Domestic comfort was utterly I'M
known among tho working classes. The old
chronicles, the letters Of Erasmus and con.
temporary documents Of many kinds prove
that tho general state Of the poor must have
been immeasurably below that of the average
thrifty mechanic to-day The fifteenth cen
fury workman could save moro than his nine
tcenth century fellow perhaps in proportion :
but as a matter of fact he did not save as
much and no matter what he saved he could
not buy comfort with his money.
There is however, means of comparison
close at hand which will show more plainly
tho real difference between tho modern work
ingman and tho fifteenth century man. We
arc receiving here an immigration composed
on tho one hand Of Hungarians and Italians
and al tho other side Of the continent OF
Chinese. These people represent pretty nearly
tho habits Of life which were common four
centuries ago. Experience shows that they
can underbid the American workingman te-
cause they arc content to live so much more
coarsely. They do not ask for what the for
mer considers neccssaries. They spend little
on food and clothing and nothing on comfort.
Tie existence which satisfies them would be
uncomfortable to Americans. Yet they occupy
very nearly the position which was held by
tho English nottingham during what Pro-
fcssor Rogers and Mr.. Gronlund are pleased
TO consider tho golden age of labor. The
truth is that in no time in the carths history